The Philadelphia 76ers let James Harden slip away, but Daryl Morey deserves credit for sitting this one out.
Now that roughly two weeks have passed and the chips have settled where they may, let us appreciate the resilience of Daryl Morey for bypassing the James Harden trade and kudos to Doc Rivers for wanting to coach both the current stars.
Yes, it is true that Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle were nearly traded. Both players understand it’s a business and that Harden was second over the last decade, behind only LeBron James, for most MVP shares, per Logan Butts.
Many Philadelphia fans have long been questioning how Simmons and Joel Embiid fit with one another. They question whether they can win a championship. That, we will see. They question if they can reach their individual potential… that answer is much more likely no.
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The current version of Simmons is well known. He is a walking triple-double threat and DPOY candidate. That player, no matter anything else, is a very good player. It is just that Simmons, even without a shot, profiles best as a supremely talented roll-man in a high pick-and-roll with a dynamic offensive creator.
Philadelphia has some very intriguing young ball-handlers in Tyrese Maxey and Shake Milton, but neither are likely to scare the likes of the big three in Brooklyn or the lesser heralded three in Milwaukee.
Embiid is at his best playing a game that feels like a blend between modern day Nikola Jokic and MVP runner-up Dwight Howard. Embiid wants to be the fulcrum of the offense like Jokic, but he wants to do so from the low-post with four shooters all spreading the floor.
The two styles can both be effective. Simmons would profile as a less boisterous, but more offensively skilled Draymond Green, a three-time champion. While Embiid has the two-way skill and impact that reminds basketball veterans of Hakeem Olajuwon, even if less graceful.
All of this is set up to bring forth the conundrum of what to do. Should Daryl Morey have pulled the trigger on James Harden?
What it would take:
The rumors, and many are believed to be true at this junction, are that Philadelphia was comfortable offering Simmons, Thybulle, and some semblance of pick(s).
Houston supposedly wanted Simmons, Thybulle, Maxey, and three first round picks, per Jason Dumas.
While a very ludicrous haul even for Harden, teams are more than welcome to ask for whatever they choose. It’s the nature of the negotiation. Rumors are though, the playing field wasn’t necessarily even going in as Fertitta supposedly didn’t want Morey reuniting with his former superstar, per CBSSports.
Again, nothing necessarily illegal or unfair about it. Teams try to trade their star out of conference. It happens even if in the long run passing on the best package is not a typically prudent practice.
Who knows what deal Houston would have taken. Perhaps there asking price was both their desire and floor for acceptance. Whatever the price, the offer of Simmons, Thybulle and pick(s) should really have been the limit, and some (myself included) never felt Simmons should be moved for Harden.
So… Why Simmons over Harden:
We have addressed the less than ideal fit. We have also highlighted some of Simmons skills that differentiate him from nearly everyone in the league.
Despite his excellence, Harden is clearly the better player and fit with Embiid. Harden is perennially in the MVP discussion, a reigning three-time scoring champion, and the fit with Embiid takes nearly no imagination. They would make an excellent pair and instantaneously raise both the ceiling and floor for Philadelphia.
Another key point that must be considered is that a trade would have also prevented the newly minted big three in Brooklyn.
These points all lead one to believe that Harden must be the right option. He must!
Yet, it still begs the ultimate question. Does this move get the organization a closer to a championship?
This is where the purely hypothetical, yet seemingly always most fiery debates begin.
Philadelphia currently sits in the pole position in the Eastern Conference, as of today. Harden would likely help lift the team even further.
Come playoff time though, Philadelphia will have still be competing with the Boston Celtics, whose two best players would cause trouble for the Philadelphia defense. They will likely have to beat Milwaukee with their phenomenal rim defense and back-to-back, reigning MVP. They would have to beat Brooklyn who would still have two phenomenal offensive weapons plus depth. The road through the Eastern Conference wouldn’t be guaranteed.
Let’s say they managed to make it through all of that. Philadelphia still wouldn’t be content with simply making the Finals. The goal is to win it. Could Philadelphia realistically convince themselves that Harden and Embiid are better than Lebron James and Anthony Davis? Do they trust their other players more than the Los Angeles Lakers bench with championship tested veterans?
I will leave that to the reader to grapple with. We will never know for sure, but my bet is no.
What now:
No matter the side of the aisle on whether to execute the Harden trade, it can’t be undone. Harden is a member of the Brooklyn Nets and Simmons is still in Philadelphia.
So, where does the team and organization go from here?
As fans, we love to fire up the trade machines and there is no doubt that both the longer-termed organizational leadership still in place and the newly implemented leadership have a penchant for making moves.
The thrill of being in on the trade action is exhilarating. Yet, Philadelphia fans must remember that Simmons is 24 years old. Embiid appears to only be growing as player and is also still only 26. The team has exciting young guards and Harris is off to an eye-opening start. Again, the current group has the best record in the entire Eastern Conference.
I suspect Morey will make several moves to open up the floor, as our team has explored. He might still have a major swing in him, or he could trade stardom for depth, or make moves around the edges to close the gaps the team sees.
No matter what, expect something.
All said, the current group is playing good basketball. Harris is growing his trade value. The Philadelphia young ball handlers are scoring points at will. Simmons will get run in different roles and in different areas of the court.
This team deserves more time and given what it might have taken to land Harden, Morey ultimately made the right choice to sit this one out.